Guillaume Dufay
Guillaume Dufay was the first great composer of the Renaissance, a time period that produced a plethora of great composers. He was born near Brussels in the 1390s and lived to 1474; he died a distinguished Canon of Cambrai Cathedral, arguably the second most prestigious cathedral of the French cultural sphere after Notre Dame in Paris. He probably established the pattern, lasting for over a century, of great Franco-Flemish composers traveling South to become leading musicians in the Courts of Italy and Spain, especially in the Papal Chapel in Rome.
Dufay is listed as a choirboy in the Cathedral archives at Cambrai in 1409, then as a clerk in 1413. Next (1420) we hear of him in the service of Carlo Malatesta, Lord of Rimini and Pesaro in NE Italy, where he famously wrote the motet, “Vasilissa ergo gaude”, for the wedding of Cleofe Malatesta and Theodoros Palaiologos, the son of the of the Byzantine Emperor. In 1427 we find him back in Cambrai as Deacon at St. Géry Collegiate Church, and the very next year he was back in Italy, a member of the Papal Chapel. In 1434 a leave of absence from Rome places Dufay as Chaplain and Chapelmaster to Amadeus VIII, Duke of Savoy, at Chambéry. (The Pope himself, Eugenius IV, left Rome due to the agitations of the anti-Pope factions). Dufay reunited with the Papal Chapel in Florence where he wrote his monumental motet, “Nuper rosarum flores” for the consecration of the Cathedral by Eugenius IV in 1436. In September of that year Eugenius granted Dufay a Canonate and Prebend at Cambrai Cathedral. The appointment was confirmed by the Chapter in November.
Dufay held this position, which brought him back to Northern France, for the rest of his life. In 1442 he succeeded Nicholas Grenon, his old choirmaster, as Master of the Petit Vicaires, in charge of the 35 Cathedral singers. Proof of his acceptance as a member of the Cathedral Chapter was his appointment as Wine Cellar Master in 1447. There were various leaves of absence, especially to the Courts of Savoy and Burgundy, during his tenure as Chapelmaster at Cambrai, which finally ended in 1464 around age 70. In July 1474 Dufay’s Will requested that the Choir sing his motet, “Ave Regina coelorum” at his death bed. He died in November.
Adieu ces bon vins
Guillaume Dufay "Adieu ces bon vins"
Adieu ces bon vins de Lannoys
Adieu dames, adieu borgois
Adieu celle que tant amoye
Adieu toute playssante joye
Adieu tout compaignons galois
Je m’en vois tout arquant des nois
Car je ne truis feves ne pois
Dont bien souvent au cuer m’ennoye
Adieu ces bon vins de Lannoys
Adieu dames, adieu borgois
”Adieu celle que tant amoye
De moy serés par plusiеurs fois
Regretés par dedans lеs bois
Ou il n’y a sentier ne voye;
Puis ne scaray que faire doye
Se je ne crie a haute vois:
Adieu ces bon vins de Lannoys
Adieu dames, adieu borgois
Adieu celle que tant amoye
Adieu toute playssante joye
Adieu tout compaignons galois
Ave Regina coelorum
Guillaume Dufay _Ave Regina coelorum_
Ave regina coelorum,
Miserere tui labentis Dufay,
Ne peccatorum ruat in ignem fervorum.
Salve radix sancta
Ex qua mundo lux est orta,
Miserere, miserere, genitrix Domini,
Ut pateat porta coeli debili.
Gaude gloriosa super omnes speciosa,
Miserere, miserere supplicanti Dufay.
Sitque in conspectu tuo mors eius speciosa.
Vale, valde decora, et pro nobis semper
Christum exora,
In excelsis ne damnemur, miserere nobis.
Et iuva ut in mortis hora nostra sint
corda decora.
Je me complains
Guillaume Dufay _Je me complains_
Je me complains piteusement
A moi tout seul plus qu’a nullui
De la griesté, paine e tourment
Que je souffre plus que ne di
Dangier me tient en tel soussi
Qu’eschever ne puis sa rudesse
Et Fortune le veult aussi
Mais, par ma foy, ce fait Jonesse
I complain piteously
To myself alone more than
to anyone else Of the grief,
pain and torment I suffer more
than I can say. The Pain of Love
keeps me so worried That I cannot
escape its brutality And Fortune
wishes it so too But by my faith,
this is what Youth does!
David Wyatt . . Translation
La belle se siet
Guillaume Dufay _La belle se siet_
La belle se siet au piet de la tour,
Qui pleure et souspire et mainne grant doulour.
Son pere lui demande: “Fille qu’avez vous?
Volez vous mari, ou volez vous seignour?”
“Je ne veul mari, je ne veul seignour;
Je veul le mien ami, qui pourist en la tour.”
“Et par Dieu, belle fille, a celui faudrés vous,
Car il sara pendu demain au point du jour.”
“Et pere, s’on le pent, enfouyés moy desous,
Si diront les gens: vecy loyaus amours.”
A beautiful girl sits at the foot of the tower,
Who weeps and sighs in great sadness.
Her father asks, “Daughter, what’s the matter?
Do you want a husband, do you want a Lord?”
“I don’t want a husband, I don’t want a Lord,
But my true love, who is imprisoned in the tower.”
“Oh, my God, fair daughter, that’s impossible,
For he is to be hanged tomorrow at dawn.”
“Well, father, if he is hanged, bury me next to him,
So people will say, ‘here is true love’.”
Lamentatio Sancte Matris
The Feast of the Pheasant presented by Philip, Duke of Burgundy, in Lille, February 17, 1454 was organized ostensibly to mount a crusade to retake the City of Constantinople, which had fallen to the Ottoman Empire in May of the previous year. This lament by Dufay may have been part of the “entertainment” at the Feast, but, although intensely moving in its use of the Maundy Lamentations as cantus firmus, it apparently failed to move the assembled nobility and the City remains Istanbul to this day.
In a 1454 letter to the Medici’s Dufay mentions this Lament . . . it is found in 2 contemporary Italian mss.
Guillaume Dufay _Lamentatio Sancte Matris_
O tres piteulx de tout espoir fontaine,
Pere du filz dont suis mere esplorée,
Plaindre me viens a ta court souveraine,
De ta puissance et de nature humaine,
Qui ont souffert telle durté villaine
Faire à mon filz, qui tant m’a hounourée.
Dont suis de bien et de joye separée,
Sans qui vivant veule entendre mes plaints.
A toy, seul Dieu, du forfait me complains,
Du gref tourment et douloureulx oultrage,
Que voy souffrir au plus bel des humains.
Sans nul confort de tout humain lignage.
Cantus firmus
Omnes amici ejus spreverunt eam, non est
qui consoletur eam ex omnibus caris ejus.
O most merciful fount of all hope,
Father of the son whose weeping mother I am:
I come to complain before your sovereign court,
about your power and about human nature,
which have allowed such grievous harm to be
done to my son, who has honored me so much.
For that I am bereft of all good and joy,
without anyone alive willing to hear my laments.
To you, the only God, I submit my complaints,
about the grievous torment and sorrowful
outrage, which the most beautiful of men suffer
without any comfort from the whole human race.
Cantus firmus
All her friends have scorned her; of all her
beloved ones there is not one to comfort her.
Ma belle dame souveraine
Guillaume Dufay "Ma belle dame souveraine"
Ma belle dame souverainne
Faites cesser ma grief dolour
Que j’endure pour vostre amour
Nuit et jour, dont j’ay tres grant painne
Ou autrement, soiés certainne
Je finneray dedens brief jour
Ma belle dame souverainne
Faites cesser ma grief dolour
Il n’i a jour en la sepmainne
Que je ne soye en grant tristour;
Sе me veulliés par vo doulcour
Secourir, dе volonté plaine
Ma belle dame souverainne
Faites cesser ma grief dolour
Que j’endure pour vostre amour
Nuit et jour, dont j’ay tres grant painne
My lovely lady sovereign
End this great pain,
Which I endure for your love
Night and day, it gives me great sadness.
Otherwise, be certain
I will perish in but a few days.
My lovely lady sovereign
End this great pain.
Not one day of the week
am I not in great sadness;
Please, through your tenderness
Help me, generously.
My lovely lady sovereign
End this great pain
Which I endure for your love
Night and day, it gives me great sadness.
Missa L’homme armé – Kyrie
The origin of the song, “L’homme armé”, is unknown, which is quite remarkable since it was the basis of at least 40 settings of the Ordinary from around 1450 to 1650 . . . more than any other source material. Dufay’s ‘Missa L’homme armé’ may be the model and first example of it’s use. The melody is in very distinctive triple meter and readily identifiable within the polyphonic texture . . . especially when assigned to shawm or sackbut.
Guillaume Dufay - Missa L'homme armé - Kyrie
Missa L’homme armé – Sanctus
Guillaume Dufay - Missa L'homme armé - Sanctus
Missa L’homme armé – Agnus Dei
Section 3 of the Agnus deploys the “L’homme armé” cantus firmus in the tenor twice . . . first time backwards with notes of double value . . . second time forward in normal value. With the tenor doubled on the alto shawm it makes for a glorious ending to the Mass.
Guillaume Dufay - Missa L'homme armé - Agnus Dei
Nuper rosarum flores – Terribilis est locutus iste
Passion Sunday, March 25, 1436, Pope Eugenius IV consecrated S. Maria del Fiore, the Cathedral in Florence. According to Manetti’s description of the event the Pope consecrated the “Golden Rose” and placed it on the high altar and Dufay’s motet was sung with “An army of musicians – trumpets, recorders, strings in various parts of the Duomo”
The cantus firmus is based on the Graduale Romanum Introit for Consecration, “Terribilis est locutus iste” (“How dreadful is this place”). The motet is in four sections. In each section two tenors sing the first phrase of the Introit in canon at the 5th, each time in a different rhythmic proportion.
Guillaume Dufay "Nuper rosarum flores"
Nuper rosarum flores ex dono pontificis
Hieme licet horrida tibi, virgo, celica,
Pie et sancte deditum
Grandis templum machinae
Condecorarunt perpetim. Hodie vicarius
Jesu Christi et Petri successor Eugenius
Hoc idem amplissimum sacris templum
manibus sanctisque liquoribus
Consecrare dignatus est. Igitur,
alma parens nati tui et filia Virgo
Deus virginum, Tuus te Florentiae
Devotus orat populus ut qui mente
et corpore mundo quicquam exorarit,
Oratione tua cruciatus et meritis
tui, secundum carnem
Nati domini sui grata beneficia
Veniamque reatum accipere mereatur.
Amen.
The harsh winter [of the Hebraic Law]
having past, roses, a recent papal gift,
perpetually adorn the Temple of the
grandest structure piously and devoutly
dedicated to you, heavenly Virgin.
Today the Vicar of Jesus Christ
and successor of Peter, Eugenius,
this same most enormous Temple
with sacred hands and holy oils
has deigned to consecrate.
Therefore, sweet parent and daughter
of your Son, God, virgin of virgins,
To you your devoted populace of Florence
petitions that whoever begs for something
with pure spirit and body
through your intercession and the merits
of your Son, their lord, owing
to His carnal torment, it may be worthy
to receive gracious benefits and
forgiveness of sins. Amen.
(Translation by Craig Wright)
Par droit je puis
Guillaume Dufay "Par droit je puis"
Par droit je puis bien complaindre et gemir,
Qui sui esent de liesse et de joye.
Un seul confort ou prendre ne scaroye,
Ne scay comment me puisse maintenir.
Raison me nuist et me veut relenquir,
Espoir me fault, en quel lieu que je soye:
Par droit je puis bien complaindre et gemir,
Qui sui esent de liesse et de joye.
Dechassiés suy, ne me scay ou tenir,
Par Fortune, qui si fort me gueroye;
Anemis sont ceus qu’amis je cuidoye,
Et ce porter me convient et souffrir.
Par droit je puis bien complaindre et gemir,
Qui sui esent de liesse et de joye.
Un seul confort ou prendre ne scaroye,
Ne scay comment me puisse maintenir.
I have the right to complain and groan,
I who am exempt from happiness and joy.
Where to find one comforting thing I know not,
Nor know how I can survive.
Reason harms me and tries to abandon me,
Hope fails me in this place where I am;
I have the right to complain and groan,
I who am exempt from happiness and joy.
I am hunted by Fortune; I know not where to stop,
Fortune makes war on me so fiercely.
Those I considered friends are enemies
But I have to put up with it and suffer.
I have the right to complain and groan,
I who am exempt from happiness and joy.
Where to find one comforting thing I know not,
Nor know how I can survive.
(Trans. David Wyatt)
Se jour de l’an
Guillaume Dufay "Se jour de l'an"
Ce jour de l’an voudray joye mener,
Chanter, danser, et mener chiere lie,
Pour maintenir la constume jolye
Que tous amans sont tenus de garder.
Et pour certain tant me voudray poier
Que je puisse choisir nouvelle amye
Ce jour de l’an voudray joye mener,
Chanter, danser, et mener chiere lie,
A laquelle je puisse presenter
Cuer, corps, et Mens, sans faire de partie:
He! Dieus d’amours, soyes de ma partie,
Que fortune si ne me puist grever.
Ce jour de l’an voudray joye mener,
Chanter, danser, et mener chiere lie.
Pour maintenir la constume jolye
Que tous amans sont tenus de garder.
This New Year’s Day I’d like to be joyful,
To sing and dance and wear a happy face,
To maintain the happy appearance
That all lovers are required to keep.
And for certain I’d like to push myself
To be able to choose a new girl
This New Year’s Day I’d like to be joyful,
To sing and dance and wear a happy face,
To whom I could present
Heart, body and goods, without division.
Oh, gods of love, be on my side
That Fortune may not harm me.
This New Year’s Day I’d like to be joyful,
To sing and dance and wear a happy face,
To maintain the happy appearance
That all lovers are required to keep
(Trans. David Wyatt)
Se la face ay pale
Guillaume Dufay "Se la face ay pale"
Se la face ay pale, La cause est amer,
C’est la principale, Et tant m’est amer
Amer, qu’en la mer Me voudroye voir;
Or, scet bien de voir La belle a qui suis
Que nul bien avoir Sans elle ne puis.
Se ay pesante malle De dueil a porter,
Ceste amour est male Pour moy de porter;
Car soy deporter Ne veult devouloir,
Fors qu’a son vouloir Obeisse, et puis
Qu’elle a tel pooir, Sans elle ne puis.
C’est la plus reale Qu’on puist regarder,
De s’amour leiale Ne me puis guarder,
Fol sui de agarder Ne faire devoir
D’amour recevoir Fors d’elle, je cuis;
Se ne veil douloir, Sans elle ne puis.
If my face seems pale, the cause is love,
it is the principal reason, and to me love is so
bitter that I could throw myself into the sea;
now she knows in truth, the fair one I serve,
that I cannot have any happiness without her.
When I have a heavy weight of regret to carry,
this Love is hard for me to bear;
for to enjoy myself she will not allow,
except that I her wishes obey, and since
she has such power, I cannot live without her.
She is the most regal being that one might see,
to love her faithfully I cannot resist,
I’m mad to admire and not serve her
receiving love from no one but her – I’m trapped
if I do not wish to suffer. I cannot live without her.
(trans. Peter Woetmann Christoffersen)
Vasillissa ergo gaude
Guillaume Dufay "Vasillissa ergo gaude"
Vasilissa, ergo gaude,
Quia es digna omni laude,
Cleophe, clara gestis
A tuis de Malatestis,
In Italia principibus
Magnis et nobilibus,
Ex tuo viro clarior,
Quia cunctis est nobilior:
Romeorum est despotus,
Quem colit mundus totus;
In porphyro est genitus,
A deo missus celitus
Iuvenili etate polles et formositate
<Ingenio> multum fecunda
Et utraque lingua facunda
Ac clarior es virtutibus
Pre alliis hominibus.
Tenor:
Concupivit rex decorem tuum
Quoniam ipse est dominus tuus.
Therefore rejoice, princess,
for you are worthy of all praise,
Cleofe, glorious from the deeds
of your Malatesta kin,
leading men in Italy,
great and noble,
More glorious from your husband,
for he is nobler than all;
he is Despot of the Rhomaioi,
he whom all the world reveres;
he was born in the purple,
sent by god from heaven
In youthfull bloom you abound
and in beauty, very fertile <in your wits>
and eloquent in both tongues,
and you are more glorious for your virtues
above other human beings.
Tenor:
The king hath conceived desire for thy beauty,
for he is thy Lord.